Across the UK retailers, food producers, community groups, restaurant owners and caterers are putting National Vegetarian Week 2008 in their diaries. The sixteenth National Vegetarian Week takes place from 19-25 May and offers the ideal opportunity to launch new products, vegetarian menus, meal deals and to promote healthy eating. This established week also offers a chance to update your image in the media and gives an excellent opportunity to reach out to new and regular customers.

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. In the weeks running up to National Vegetarian Week find out why people go veggie, take a look at a veggie menu, and discover how much veggie food you already eat. National Vegetarian Week has everything from food, to famous veggie faces and veggie fashion.

Go green

• 18% of world global greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock production, whereas 13.5% comes from transport.
• Animals require much more water than the growing of grain to produce the same amount of protein.
• Tropical forests are destroyed daily to create more land to raise livestock and grow grain for animal feed. Livestock production is responsible for 70% of Amazonian deforestation.

Vital veggies

• Being veggie can really make a difference in avoiding food poisoning. You are more likely to pick up bugs like E.coli from meat, chicken and seafood than any other foods.
• You can still get all the iron you need in your diet as a vegetarian – it’s found in a number of foods including wholemeal bread, leafy green vegetables, dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
• Going veggie is an intelligent choice. Veggies have been shown to have higher IQs than non-veggies. A recent study showed that young people who made the decision to go veggie went on to have higher intelligence ratings.

Animal magic

• In 2007 two beavers, Twiggy and Woody, were made honorary members of The Vegetarian Society after they appeared on BBC2 and debunked the popular myth that veggies (and beavers) eat fish.
• Vegetarians are certainly not weedy and weak. If you have any doubts, take another look at these three vegetarians - elephant, rhinoceros and gorilla.
• If you love and respect animals, then send a strong signal that guarantees you won’t be eating an animal reared in appalling conditions.

Want to Cook Meat-Free?

Delve into veggie ingredients such as pulses, tofu and veggie alternatives. Recipes based on these ingredients will count towards your recommended 2-3 daily portions of high protein foods.

Pulses

• They are rich in protein, carbohydrate and fibre, and low in fat which is mostly of the unsaturated kind. They are also important sources of some B vitamins
• Using canned pulses doesn't affect the protein content, eliminates the need for soaking and considerably reduces the cooking time compared with dried pulses.

Recipe examples: Mexi Wrap Sandwich (red kidney beans), Quick Korma (chick peas), Broad Bean and Flamed Red Pepper Salad (broad beans), Tortilla Beany Bake (flageolet beans).

Tofu

• As well as having a high protein content, tofu also contains calcium, iron, and vitamins B1, B2 and B3.
• Firm tofu may be marinated, fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, sauteed, diced and added to salads or casseroles. Silken tofu can be used for dips, spreads, sauces and sweet dishes.

Recipe examples: Thai & Tofu Stir Fry with Organic Marinated Pieces, Beetroot and Tofu Salad, Organic Tofu with Noodles and Cashewnuts.

Veggie Alternatives

Veggie alternatives to mince, sausages and burgers are well established in the market place, and are usually made from tofu, soya, pea or wheat protein or mycoprotein.

• Soya protein is a good source of fibre and high quality protein, textured vegetable protein is fortified with vitamin-B12.
• Mycoprotein (found only in Quorn products) is a nutritious member of the fungi family containing high quality protein. Mycoprotein is low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol free, and contains essential dietary fibre. It contains useful amounts of zinc, and many other important nutrients.

Recipe examples: Hearty Sausage Hotpot, Super Spag Bol, Veggie Sausages with Lime and Ginger Noodles.

Want to eat well but don’t have the time to cook from scratch? Take a look at the meat free ready meals on the supermarket shelves. Examples include: Roasted Aubergine Moussaka, Tuscan Four Bean Cannelloni, Sweet Potato & Aubergine Balti, Baked Vegetable Enchiladas, Feta & Mint Falafel Bites.

ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY

The week is organised by The Vegetarian Society of the UK (founded in 1847) which was the first organisation worldwide to adopt the term “vegetarian”. The Vegetarian Society’s definition of a vegetarian is: ‘Someone who eats no meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or crustacea and also avoids the by-products of the slaughterhouse such as gelatine, rennet and animal fats.’ The majority of vegetarians eat free-range eggs.

To get the most out of National Vegetarian Week (NVW) 2008 visit www.vegsoc.org/nvw and download the brand new NVW Action Pack. The pack has tips and hints on how to get involved. It also lists the ways that The Vegetarian Society can support your business during the week.

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